McDonald's CEO gets grilled at first annual meeting

McDonald's Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook, who took the helm on March 1, is fighting on numerous fronts as he works to turn around the company, which saw profit and revenue fall in 2014 after service times slowed and nimbler rivals picked off customers with menus that appeal to growing appetites for fresher, less-processed food.

Despite opposition from McDonald's, 61 percent of voting shareholders said yes to a proposal that would make it easier for long-term investors to list director candidates on company proxy materials.

The UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust brought the proxy access proposal before investors because "McDonald's board needs to be more accountable for these performance lapses," the Trust's Corporate Governance Director Cambria Allen said at the meeting, which was closed to media but accessible via webcast.